STRATEGY FOR COMMERCE AND ARTISANSHIP

The business community in the Montpellier metropolitan area includes some 10,800 business establishments, including (shops, CHRs^[1] and storefront services), over 6,800 of which are in the city of Montpellier alone^[2]. It is the second-largest commercial hub in the Occitanie region, and 46% of the metropolitan area’s retail sales are generated by Montpellier businesses.

Montpellier’s sphere of commercial influence extends not only beyond the administrative boundaries of the metropolitan area, but also beyond the Montpellier urban area (570,000 residents), which includes the nearby Lunel and Sète population centers and extends far to the northwest beyond the Hérault Valley. Montpellier’s influence also reaches out to the edges of the Nîmes and Béziers consumer markets.

Commerce is an integral component of the region's economy, generating wealth and jobs that cannot be relocated (36,000 jobs in the metropolitan area, 21,600 in the city itself). Local businesses also contribute to the quality of our living environment, helping to enliven the area and create social ties among residents. It contributes to the concept of “living well together”.

[1] Café-Hôtel-Restaurant
[2] Source : Montpellier Métropole Commerce Study – CCI 2022